Kristafer Aaron Wilkes is an American basketball player nicknamed Indiana Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American senior in high school. Wilkes played college basketball for the Pac-12 Conference’s UCLA Bruins. He was not selected in the 2019 NBA draft due to a severe, undisclosed illness.
Sometimes the body does not cooperate with the mind and dreams a; a person has had since their childhood.
It’s not necessarily paralysis or coma; it can be some uncertain and unknown bodily condition.
Likewise, Kris Wilkes, shooting guard for the UCLA Bruins, suffered from an undisclosed severe disease, which has led him to stay out of court and enjoy the games not as a player but as an audience.
Kris had a promising career in basketball. His stats and performance gave him a higher ranking and recognition for the team.
As of April 2024, Kris Wilkes’s net worth is approximately $1 million.
We will learn more about her professional and personal life in this article.
First, however, here are some quick facts about him before getting into details about the Bruins’ shooting guard’s life and career.
Quick Facts | Kristafer Aaron Wilkes
| Full Name | Kristafer Aaron Wilkes |
| Nickname | Kris Wilkes |
| Birth Date | September 18, 1998 |
| Age | 25 Years Old |
| Birth Place | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Religion | Undefined |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | N/A |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Father’s Name | Greg Wilkes |
| Mother’s Name | Ahkisha Owens |
| Siblings | Younger Brother, Anthony Robey |
| Education | North Central High School, UCLA( University of California, Los Angeles) |
| Body Build | Lean and Muscular |
| Height | 6 feet 8 inches (2.03m approx) (203 cm) |
| Weight | 98 Kg (216 lb) |
| Body Build | Lean and Muscular |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Shoe size | N/A |
| Relationship Status | Dating (Lexie Stevenson, AKA Mattie Ashby) |
| Profession | Ex-Basketball Player, Shooting Guard |
| Net Worth | $1 million (approx) |
| Salary | N/A |
| Currently Works At | N/A |
| Affiliations | UCLA |
| Active Since | 2017-2019 |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Kris Wilkes | Early Life, Parents & Education
Ahkisha Owens and Greg Wilkes, in Indiana, USA, raised Kris. Similarly, Kris is the elder brother of Anthony Robey. Greg is an Indianapolis Police Officer.
His mom, Ahkisha, is Arlington’s graduate. Recently, in the early months of 2020, Kris lost his grandfather due to COVID-19, with whom he was close.
Kris’s father used to take Kris to different basketball games, which motivated him to play basketball professionally.
Also, During an interview, Greg Wilkes, Kris’s Father, said, “Kris, by the fourth grade, was pretty serious about basketball. He just kind of took it from there.
His performance and fortune gave him a good program and group.”
Education
Kris completed his High School at North Central High School. Later, he joined UCLA( University of California, Los Angeles) and started playing for UCLA Bruins’ college basketball team.
Kris Wilkes | Height, Weight & Body Measurements
Kris Wilkes has a slim and muscular build. He weighs 216 lb and stands 2.03 m tall.
Fun fact, his body fat is just 5.15 percent.
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Kris Wilkes | Basketball Career
High School Career And Recruiting
Kris was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game in High School. Not only that, Wilkes was ranked as a consensus five-star prospect in the class of 2017.
Moreover, Wilkes was named Indiana Mr. Basketball and an Indiana All-Star. Later Kris Wilkes skipped the NBA draft and returned to school for his sophomore season.
The Coach of UCLA, Steve Alford at that time, said,” Wilkes knows he’ll have a more significant role with the Bruins. I see Wilkes as a future first-round draft pick.”
These two recognitions ultimately helped Wilkes to have a strong base and to move forward and progress in his college career.
Besides, he was recruited by other reputable college teams like the Indiana Hoosiers, Illinois Fighting Illini, UConn Huskies, and Xavier Musketeers.
Views On Social Media Popularity
Many news channels interviewed Kris. Most of the time, they asked him about his popularity. Kris says the media spotlight worsened him as kids’ personal lives are exposed.
Many of them don’t know what kind of things they can and have to post; if they post anything offensive, it can be screenshots and later used for their career distraction and destruction.
Therefore, one should be careful to put out things on social media.
Interview With Draft Express
Jim Hlavac of Draft Express interviewed Kris. Here, Kris shared his story of getting selected for All American Mcdonalds via an announcement on the TV.
In addition, He expressed his enthusiasm to play with the players he had seen on TV.
College Career
Many teams approached Wilkes, but he chose to play for UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).
During a tournament, Wilkes sat in some games for the first five minutes. Because he was charged for disciplinary reasons as he was late for a team bus.
Performance In 2017/ 2018
The year 2017 ended, and Wilkes became UCLA’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
He was declared for the 2018 NBA draft. Wilkes also attended the NBA Draft Combine. But later, he withdrew from the draft. Then, he returned to the UCLA Bruins.
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Experience With NBA
Wilkes confessed that the pre-draft process made him familiar with a professional basketball game and a business.
But, he said,” NBA pre-draft was an eye-opening experience. It will help me improve.”
Missing Hometown
Moving from Indiana to California got him homesick. Wilkes, to a Sports news channel, said, “At first, I missed my hometown, but living here made me live by myself.
The first couple of weeks, maybe a month or so, I was a little down being away from my family and friends. Later, with time, I learned to adjust to it.
This independence has helped me mature and grow, and I think I’m becoming more of a man.”
Likewise, On December 8, 2018, he made an outstanding performance. He got a game-winning three-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining in a 65–62 win.
In 2019, Wilkes scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-16 shooting to help UCLA win. Also, He finished the season with the Bruins. Later, the team was named second-team All-Pac-12.
The then interim coach of Bruins, Murry Bartow, said,” Kris Wilkes is one of our best players, and that’s the way he’s supposed to play.”
Early Signs Of Disease
Sadly, Kris suffered from muscle cramps sometimes before and after games. He took extra caution and focused on his hydration and diet.
He was tackling the pain with his games. But these cramps did not end.
Professional career
However, Kris’s most minor improvement did not impress NBA. Hence, Wilkes went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft.
Even though the draft had gone out of his reach, New York Knicks offered him a two-way contract.
Unfortunately, Wikes could not play in the 2019 NBA Summer League due to a severe illness. The type of illness is undisclosed.
Regarding this, David Fizdale, the head coach of the Knicks, said, “He got ill. He came down with a serious illness. I don’t know what it was, but it was pretty severe.”
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Talks With Locked On Bruins Podcast
Kris appeared in a podcast hosted by Bryn Fenley. Here, Kris told how hard he missed his first love- the game of basketball.
Also, he shared his journey to regain the strength to return to the court and bring out his magic.
Additionally, Bryan shared Kris’s friend’s optimistic views on having Kris back and how astonishing and jaw-dropping the comeback will become.
Awards And Recognitions
Although their professional career as basketball players was short-lived for Kris, His devotion has decorated his achievements with awards and recognitions.
Here is a list of the awards collected by Mr.Wilkes
- Ranked as a consensus five-star prospect in the class of 2017.
- Recognized as Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2017
- Dream Champion Award
- Recognized as Marion County Player of the Year for two-times
Kris Wilkes | College Stats
| Year | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Career | 66 | 65 | 30.8 | .436 | .343 | .664 | 4.8 | 1.7 | .7 | .5 | 15.5 |
Kris Wilkes | Personal life, Disease & Girlfriend
Disease And Health Problems
Due to severe undisclosed disease, Kris had to give up on his professional career. As a result of his poor health, he passed up an opportunity to play for the New York Knicks.
Although the UCLA player and the Knicks had a verbal agreement, they had to part ways when Wilkes came down with an illness.
The Knicks head coach did not elaborate on the player’s health problems but said, “He came down with a serious illness. I don’t know what it was, but it was pretty severe.“
Post Career
Kris’s story was also featured in the New York Times; after his severe illness, he created a brand named Origyn sports, which makes basketballs.
He started this brand in 2020 and officially launched it in 2021 and still serving it with a mission statement,
“Built by athletes, Origyn Sport strives to be a brand built on a passion for improvement. How you train is how you play.
We believe that hard work, dedication, and preparation are all aspects of seeing success. With each and every product created, we strive to help train the current and next generation of athletes.
Incorporating these aspects with a unique, purpose-based training ritual, athletes will be able to produce better results when it is time to perform. Train Different. Play Different.”
Girlfriend
Kris is dating Lexie Stevenson (Mattie Ashby). They met at a UCLA fraternity Party. Kris approached her and asked for Mattie’s number, but She gave him her Instagram.
Later, he asked her out to a movie. Eventually, they started hanging out as friends. And after eight months, i.e., August 28, 2019, they started dating.
View this post on Instagram
Mattie suffers from a condition called endometriosis. Kris has tweeted about his girlfriend’s situation.
Moreover, he has encouraged people to know the symptoms to help support loved ones who suffer from it.
Both adopted a beautiful German Shepherd found on the side of the road. Mattie also has a Rottweiler named King.
Trend Graph
Kris had an inspiring and unfulfilled journey which his fans find inspirational and relatable.
Many people search for him and know his story, especially after getting featured in NYTimes.
Kris Wilkes | Net Worth
Kris Wilkes’s net worth is estimated to be around between $100k to half a million US dollars.
However, he seems humble and does not show it off on social media.
Kris Wilkes | Social Media Presence
Kris Wilkes does not have an official Facebook page; however, his fans have created some.
Wilkes is a bit active on Instagram. He shares his beautiful moments with his girlfriends, pets, friends, and family.
View this post on Instagram
Likewise, he also shares some great pictures captured by paparazzi and news photographers during his play for UCLA Bruins.
Wilkes is active on Twitter. Recently, he has been sharing cute picture videos with his girlfriend, his latest podcasts, and a year back pictures when he was an active basketball player.
Instagram– 36.3 K followers (@kriswilkes)
Twitter – 47 K followers(@Kris Air Wilkes)
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Kris Wilkes | FAQ
Did Kris Wilkes get drafted by NBA?
No. His degrading performance and poor health condition were barriers to being drafted into the NBA.
What is Kris Wikes’s current status at NBA?
For the present moment, after the illness, kris is back to a healthy form and handling his basketball gear brand,
other than that, we have no information about him regarding NBA.
Who was Kris Wilkes’s agent?
During his playing year before going undrafted, his agents were Thaddeus Foucher and Joe Smith.
Is Kris Wilkes related to Jamaal Wilkes?
No, the two are not related to each other; only the last names are common between these players; other than that, they are not at all related in any way.
What is Kris Wilkes’s jersey number?
The basketballer’s jersey number was 13 when he played for the UCLA Bruins. He honored the number and stick to it.
What did Kris disappear from games?
Kris had to give up on professional gaming due to acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, an autoimmune disorder otherwise known as ADEM. Which gives him severe muscle cramps, Kris.
Will Kris Wilkes make a comeback?
He has been preparing himself since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are still not sure about his comeback.
Is Kris Wilkes single?
No. Kris is dating Lexie Stevenson. They are happy together and keep posting pictures with each other on Instagram.
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